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The palpable improvement in Einstein’s relations with Mileva and his sons was
also furthered by a considerable alleviation of his financial worries. At the end of
1920, Einstein had still been certain that the family ought to move from Switzer-
land to southern Germany, where he could more easily provide for them, given the
unfavorable currency exchange rates (Vol. 10, Doc. 232a in this volume). Family
friends pleaded with him to abandon this plan, contending that it was especially
important for Hans Albert to complete his final year of schooling in Zurich
(Doc. 17). But by late August 1921, a substantial improvement in his financial situ-
ation was brought about by honoraria for public lectures and those of a visiting
professor in Leyden (see Doc. 21), by the brisk sale of his books and articles, from
his patent opinions and technical work (see. e.g., Doc 82), and from a considerable
increase in his annual salary (Calendar entry of 20 October). Einstein and Elsa
invested their bonds in the Schweizerische Auer-Aktien-Gesellschaft and $4,300 in
the United States via Samuel Untermyer (Doc. 235), a lawyer and civic leader and,
given restrictions against the export of foreign currency and the prevailing income
tax laws in Germany, were kept informed in coded language about the performance
of their holdings (Doc. 272). Einstein was thus able to inform Mileva that the fami-
ly’s financial future in Zurich was now secure. He also urged Hans Albert, who was
planning a career in engineering, to remain in close contact with Anschütz-
Kaempfe (Doc. 218), with whom Einstein was developing a stronger bond
(Doc. 327). Their friendship was strengthened by the two men’s scientific and tech-
nical collaborations, and by Einstein’s delight in visiting Kiel, sailing, and enjoying
the luxurious accommodations of Anschütz-Kaempfe’s retreat. Einstein’s wish for
his own summer house was finally realized in 1921, when Elsa purchased a cottage
in Spandau, outside Berlin (Doc. 207).
A number of documents in this volume reveal how Einstein dealt with his grow-
ing visibility and fame. In March, he reassured his friend Maurice Solovine that the
“undeserved” sky-high praise had not corrupted his soul (Doc. 85). Upon returning
from his U.S. trip and the accompanying fanfare, he conceded he now had a better
understanding of what it means “to be continuously exposed as an official person,
to be constantly observed, and have each word weighed” (Doc. 174). Most likely
mindful of earlier criticism, Einstein asked that the Vieweg publishing house no
longer include his portrait in new printings of Einstein 1917a (Doc. 265). And as a
result of the unpleasant consequences of his interview with the Dutch daily Nieuwe
Rotterdamsche Courant (Vol. 7, Appendix D), in whose aftermath Einstein also
received an anti-Semitic hate letter encouraging him to emigrate to Jerusalem
(Doc. 170), he began to turn down requests for interviews. He also declined to write
newspaper articles, since that was against his “sacred principles and habits”